The agency says nearly 500 workers received back pay after an investigation found the company was diverting tips to management.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Hundreds of Heine Brothers' baristas have received back pay after a federal investigation last summer found the Louisville-based company had violated a labor and wage law.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) found that store managers were partaking in tip pooling when they should not have been, and worked the company to give baristas tips they were owed.
In a media brief, the DOL said it worked with the National Conference of Fireman and Oilers to recover $300,000 in back pay and "liquidated damages" to nearly 500 employees.
According to the Wage and Hour Division, liquidated damages are "intended to compensate workers for damages they may have incurred as the result of not having been paid timely for all the wages they legally earned."
How much money each employee received was dependent on several factors, but mainly how many hours they worked.
“The Wage and Hour Division is committed to protecting the rights of workers and ensuring that they receive all the hard-earned wages they rely on to make ends meet,” Louisville Wage and Hour Division District Office Director Karen Garnett-Civils said.
We’re proud of our @HBWorkersUnion for taking a stand and recovering their unpaid tips. Thank you @WHD_DOL for ensuring this unlawful practice stopped! #UnionsForAll #1u https://t.co/JSPnkX9uDg
— NCFO 32BJ/SEIU of Kentucky (@ncfokentucky) ...
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